“Have the Wyandots any salt to trade for knives or cloth or anything else we have for them?” asked Kingdom, hoping to obtain information which might be valuable.
“No salt; Injuns got no salt. Paleface get big heap salt at big ‘lick,’” answered the leader of the band. “Paleface over yonder—him have salt. Him trade, maybe.”
“Where? Where over yonder do you mean?” Kingdom inquired, pretending to be little interested.
“Over yonder—down river. Him have camp piece back from river, yonder.”
“Just one man, is it!” Ree asked.
“Ugh! two—leben—four—cuss! Injun don’t know!” the Wyandot returned, and seeing that the redskin suspected that he was being “pumped,” Ree changed the subject as naturally as he could.
Every moment that the Wyandots tarried the boy feared their next words would be to ask where John was. All the Indians knew there were two of the white boys, and that they were usually together. Had these travelers learned of the charge of witchcraft against Little Paleface? Kingdom dared not turn their thoughts in that direction by any words pertaining to the subject, and he was glad enough to say goodbye to them, at last, even though on this point he had gleaned no information.
There was no need for Kingdom to tell what had been said and done by the visitors when, after they were well out of sight, John came clambering down from the loft.
“I’m getting awful tired of being a witch, Ree,” the latter began, peeping out of a loophole. “What in the world’s the use of our staying here and living this way? I’m not complaining, old boy, you know I’m not; but this sort of thing is likely to last all winter. You can’t find out how Big Buffalo was killed, and until you know, every mother’s son of those Delawares swallow all that Lone-Elk tells them. So how’s it going to end? Am I to jump and run like a whipped pup, all winter, every time we hear a noise?”
“Just you wait, my son,” Kingdom answered, quite gaily. “We know that the Seneca’s hold on Captain Pipe is his secret lead mine. Suppose we find that mine! Mr. Pipe will be glad to find out where it is. There! Now you see what I mean. You’re just feeling a little cross because you had to stay out of sight. But here’s another thing, John. We agree that we don’t intend to let any one Indian chase us away from here; but we have some business on hand besides that. We’ve got to find out, if we can, who killed those men at the salt springs. With all the reason we have for believing that the murderers are camped out just about under our very noses, we’re bound to look after them, especially if they’re white men, and—well, you heard what the Wyandots said just two minutes ago. Don’t you think, either, John,” the older lad concluded very soberly, “that I don’t see the danger we are in. I see it big and strong all around us; but we’ve gone too far to turn back unless we have to. If we can come out ahead of Lone-Elk just once, there will be no danger of his ever troubling us again. Pipe and all the Delawares will be our solid friends for all time. We don’t want to sacrifice all we have done here and the good start we’ve made, do we, John?”